🪐 The Orbit Newsletter: Issue #6

Pride, love, magic and creativity.

Jun 02, 2025

It’s The Orbit again, full of colors and sparkles to celebrate diversity with pride, love, magic and creativity. Let’s dive into this wonderful world all together 🌈

📝 Quick Summary:

🌍 Orbit Spotlight: Queer Culture
🛠️ Toolbox Addition of the Week: Embracing DEI
📚 Monthly editorial pick: The Artist Way
🖇️ Practical Tip: Using The Artist Way Tools
📣 What’s New: Grab our Editorial Calendar for Substack!

🌍 Orbit Spotlight: Queer Culture and it’s Influence on Mainstream Art

Queer culture has always been a driving force in the art world, being all about what’s cool, what’s fresh, and what’s next, even if it hasn’t always gotten the credit.

A lot of today’s design, fashion, music, and visual art originated in queer spaces. The boldness, the color, the attitude - everything is deeply rooted in how queer communities have expressed themselves, especially in places where they weren’t accepted. For all those individuals creativity became a way to connect stand out and most importantly - survive.

Queer influence goes way back in the history. Great example is Berlin before World War II, when queer clubs, cabarets, and publications made the city one of the most vibrant, expressive places in the world. Artists and writers were already pushing the boundaries of gender, sexuality, and identity — until it was all violently erased by the Nazi regime (here we can recommend you to watch the documentary: “Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate”)

Then of course there’s the Stonewall Uprising in 1969. Led by trans women and queer people of color, it was a defining moment in queer history that sparked a global movement. This is the moment when, art, protest, and identity became deeply connected. Posters, zines, flyers, and performance art all played a role in saying: we’re here, we’re not going anywhere, and we’re creating something new.

Queer culture influences are everywhere right now:

Fashion shows are borrowing from drag and ballroom scenes

Pop stars are using queer language, visuals, and stories
Indie brands are leaning into DIY, fluid, expressive design
Artists are exploring softness, transformation, and identity in beautiful, open ways

But we cannot forget that it’s not just about trends. Queer culture isn’t something to “use” or capitalize on (queer baiting) it comes from real lives, real struggles, and real communities. And while it’s amazing to see queer influence in the spotlight, we can’t forget that in many parts of the world, things are actually moving backwards instead of forward.

We’re seeing more censorship, anti-queer laws, and a rise in conservative pushback: from book bans to attacks on drag shows and trans rights. In some places, queer art and identity are being silenced again.

That’s why it matters more than ever to not just enjoy the look or the vibe, but to protect and support the people behind it, it’s time to show up as an ally.

Queer culture has always been about pushing boundaries. It makes space for contradictions, complexity, and change. It is a reminder for us all, that there’s no one way to be an artist, or a person, and t hat’s powerful.

In a current state of the world, where everyone keeps on trying to sort everyone into neat boxes, queer creativity says: actually, I’ll do it my way. That kind of freedom is contagious, and we all need it.

What Can We Do?

Celebrate where it all comes from. Give credit. Support queer artists with your time, your money, and your platform. Stay curious. Pay attention. And remember: Pride isn’t just about visibility, it’s about community, creativity, and care.

And art has always been right at the heart of that.

🛠️ Toolbox Addition of the Week:

Embracing DEI: The Key to Build Inclusive and Thriving Communities

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are foundational principles for creating spaces where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered.

Diversity brings together individuals from varied backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, enriching our communities and the connections between them.
Equity ensures fair treatment, accessibility, and opportunities for all, recognizing that systemic barriers exist and working actively to dismantle them.
Inclusion cultivates environments where every individual feels a sense of belonging, enabling authentic participation and contribution.

Embracing DEI leads to stronger, more resilient communities and organizations. It enhances creativity, better decision-making and reflects a commitment to social justice.

By prioritizing DEI, we move towards a more equitable and inclusive society for everyone.

📚 Monthly editorial pick: The Artist Way

This month’s pick is a 12 week course-book for having an Artistic Recovery. Feeling stuck? Not feeling creative enough? The joyful and playful childish creativity seems too far away from you? It is perfect for you. Get ready to journaling everyday, going on solo artist-dates and do the Tasks Julia Cameron proposes.

This book selection was inspired by Doechii’s path, who randomly found the book on the street and documented her whole experience through each week.

(You can watch the videos here, but we recommend you to do it while actually taking the course).

🖇️ Practical Tip: Using The Artist Way Tools

Morning Pages

Every morning, just after you wake up, write 3 pages in a notebook. Just go with the flow: there is not a goal, not a recipe for them. Let out your worries, your dreams, funny and silly stuff, your lack of idea of what to write. Make it a practice, a ritual. It is a wonderful way to connect with the creative flow: very often you will find yourself finding answers to your own problems. Don’t judge, just write.
Ah, and there is no deadline nor an end for this ritual. (You might like it and make it part of your creative-care routine)

Artist Date

Take yourself to a solo-artist-date. It can be whatever: A walk in the park, an exhibition, a visit to the Botanical Garden, a drawing/reading/writing café date. It is not allowed to bring people: this is your space, your creative artist’s space. Make them fun, enjoyable, get inspired by your dates. Collect ideas, flowers, little stones, poems. This is a ritual for yourself.

Have fun!

💥 A must re-watch:

Lady gaga free concert in Copacabana, Brasil

📣 What’s New:

🛒 Our First Tool Is Live! We just dropped our Editorial Calendar for Substack on Creative Market! 🎉 If you’re a newsletter person (or trying to be), this Notion template will help you stay organized without losing your mind. → Grab it here
🎧 Podcast Episode 2 Just Landed: In Lines and Deadlines, we chat with illustrator Toni Fejzula about his career in comics, surviving deadlines, and why creative work is never just a job. → Listen on Substack or wherever you stream.
✨ New Series: Behind the Gloss: We kicked off our new visual series Behind the Gloss, where we are trying to peel back the shiny surface of the creative world and talk about what’s really going on. It’s our space for real talk, honest truths, and (soon) some deeper topics that creatives don’t talk about nearly enough.
⛅ Real Talk: We’re Tired, Too: Truth is, the team is juggling jobs, freelance gigs, life in general, and mental health stuff - but we’re still here. Still orbiting. Still making stuff we care about.